I am not a car and you are not very patient

A line of cars coming toward me were waiting to make a left hand turn. The car at the front of the line waited for me to go through the intersection (nice.) As I usually do when these situtations happen, I pedalled harder, trying to reduce the amount of time people have to wait for me. As I went by the line of cars turning left, the driver of the fourth car in rolled down her window and shouted:

“YOU’RE NOT A CAR!”

It was probably the most accurate thing that’s ever been shouted at me. Although there was a pretty famous car with my name.

I was thinking afterward, if I sprinted at say 20 mph (which may be generous), it took me maybe a second to cross over the piece of asphalt she needed. Had I been in my car, travelling at 35 mph,it would have been just over half a second.

Of course, when you’re late work, perception probably causes that time to seem longer. I did not, if you’re curious, stop to explain any of this. The light was still green and she had taken off.

J, but the point is that (even though Herb is not a car) he follows the same traffic laws as a car. I’m a bicyclist and I stop at stop signs, red lights, etc. I also know that the same right of way rules apply to me when I’m on my bike or in a car.

Any experience I have with bikers is that they follow the rules of the road when it’s convenient for them. But when traffic is stopped they don’t stop. They zoom past on the shoulder and roll through red lights. They don’t want to stop for nothing.

J – Comment #2 – it is thinking like this that makes me scared for cyclists.

Your experiences with other cyclists does not apply in this situation. I don’t care if she missed the light by a second or not – the correct (and safest) way for a cyclist to cross an intersection at a red light is the way Herb did.

Let’s face it – no matter how you cut it, the bottom line is that bikes on the road are a pain in the ass. That’s what’s really at the root of drivers being ‘pissed’ at bicyclists. Regardless of the fact that the law gives bicycles the same rights of way as vehicles and requires that bicyclists follow traffic statutes and that most bicyclists do indeed follow those rules, bikes on the road are a PITA.

Why? As a driver you have to make room for them, you have to look for them, you have to be aware of them, they might fall, they can get in your way, you have to wait for them, you have to plan on them doing something you might not expect/know of/can guess at in certain situations, etc., etc., etc. So, it makes you nervous, worried, concerned – which you need less of when driving, not more.

And besides which, everyone – including bicyclists – know that roads were built for cars.

Lastly, throw in the fact that bicyclists are infrequent enough such that every time you come across one on the road it represents essentially a whole new experience and it’s like, “Oh no, it’s a bike…”

P.S. – And those weenie beanie helmet thingies you wear make you look like dweebs – which, like it or not, doesn’t help your cause…

I always appreciative it when drivers turning left wait for me to cycle straight through the intersection on the green. Having written that, I’m always surprised when drivers follow the rules of the road and let me cycle straight through an intersection on the green. I trust no one.

ErinsDad, when you’re on a bike, I think “Trust no one” is a great philosophy.
Fuji, I’m shocked that you would say bicyclists are “infrequent.” I see at least one every single day once the weather warms up. I’m only surprised when I see them out in the wintertime – those guys are hard core.

Nice article. There is a 4 way stop in my development that amazingly fills w cars as I approach it on my bike each evening. I’ll generally pull to the curb for 10sec and let them go away rather than hope all 5 drivers will respect my right of way.

Those helmets may make us look like dweebs but they save our brains from drivers who think bicyclists on the road are “a pain in the ass”.
“…law gives bicycles the same rights of way as vehicles and requires that bicyclists follow traffic statutes and that most bicyclists do indeed follow those rules, bikes on the road are a PITA.”–The law gives us rights because they also require us to be on the road once we’ve past the age of 14. Current highway design standards take into account all modes of traffic on the road and that includes bicycles (chapter 17).

Tolerance is key…on both sides. Respect the fact that every time there’s a bicyclist, that’s one less car you’re stuck in traffic with, allowing you to bring your negativity to the highway so much faster. You’re welcome.

People for some reason do not seem to notice a 2 wheeler,
it does not matter if it has an engine or not.

There have been too many cars hitting bicycles and motorcycles.

Who wins when that happens? NOBODY

A woman was on here way to see her Mom, a few years ago,
on her bicycle, she got hit on Central Ave.
Another woman got hit on Western Ave, another bicyclist got
hit on Rt 32 near Feura Bush. None survived.